Bought a 2 bottom plow but...

[MZ 2N]

Hi all I bought an old deerborne/Ford plow this weekend to use behind my 2N it worked ok given that the ground is quite wet but I noticed that the plow liked to drift to the left after looking at pictures I found that my plow doesn't have the guide wheel after the second plow could this be my problem or do I have other setup problems. I can take pics later of my setup but this pic looks like my plow.

[ky wonder]

they help but are not really nesacary, it sounds like you need to hook up a stabilizer with the plow, this keeps the plow centered behind the tractor.
also you need to have the tractor wheels spaced for plowing, and have the plow squared to the tractor. some photos of the rig would help both in and out of the furrow

[Team_Green]

Did you have your sway chains on your three point hitch tight?

[MZ 2N]

Thanks for the info

I am not running a stabilizer at this point but I use one when I run my finish mower... My chains are also not tight there is quite a bit of play in the the arms.
I will get some pics up later so you can see what I have going on.

[MZ 2N]

here is what I had I did take two links out the the left sway chain and it helped but I couldn't take more out cuz it would bind when I lift the plow. There is no room on the 3pt pins to use stabilizers... The last shot is where it sat naturally.

[Tall Grass]

Originally Posted by MZ 2N

Hi all I bought an old deerborne/Ford plow this weekend to use behind my 2N it worked ok given that the ground is quite wet but I noticed that the plow liked to drift to the left after looking at pictures I found that my plow doesn't have the guide wheel after the second plow could this be my problem or do I have other setup problems. I can take pics later of my setup but this pic looks like my plow.

Education wise. I think you are looking at the "Rolling Coulters" rather than guide wheels. They don't guide at all. They cut the sod; so she will turn over the dirt nicely". If the Coulters were kinda of wavy looking then they will be called "fluted coulters".

[Tall Grass]

Do you know if the plow is running level? Might cause a side pull if not level. I haven't pulled anything that small and 3 point hitch as well; so i might be wrong about the side pull.

[MF283]

You need to take the slack out of the chains, the top link should be straight during operation as it is in the "natural" shot you took.

In the 2nd pic, looks as if it's tilted to the left, try adjusting the drawbar to level it off some more.

It also looks as if you have the room for a stabilizer, it will bolt to the 3 pt underneath the axle, i'd start by shortening the chains though. You may need to get a set just for the plow if your other implement's pull correctly with those at that length.

Ronnie

[RDR]

In the 2nd pic when making your first pass you need the lift link longer on the right to make the front plow deeper. When you make your next pass the right tractor tires should be in the trench from the rear plow. Then you will need to shorten the lift link with the hand crank.

In the 4th pic the plow is too far to the right. I can see that with the plow over where it needs to be you don't have room between the lift arm and lynch pin to put a sway bar. You'll have to work with shortening the left chain. It might limit lifting the plow all of the way up, but you should be able to lift it enough to turn on the ends.

I finally remembered this morning what dad had for a sway system on the 2N and 8N when I was a kid. He had pipe welded on the outside front and rear of the lift arms. There were two pieces of cold rolled with a 90 at each end so they dropped in the pipes making an x pattern.

I see what you are talking about on the guide wheel on the rear, not the coulter wheels. I don't remember the 2-14's or the 3-10" bottom plows we used in the vineyard having the guide wheels.

[Tom-Pa]

The chains are slightly adjustable. The U at the pto end can be slid into another link. do not cut any links off. the length there is to keep the 3 pt arms from hitting the tire. The stabilizer bar goes from under the axle to the 3 pt . Usually there is not enough space left on the Ferguson plow after the 3 pt and the lynch pin are in to use the stabilizer bar. I have a Ferguson 12" double botton and not enough room for the bar.I do have stabilizer chains and run one from the toplink and around the plow beam and bolt it to pull the plow over. I should narrow the wheel base for plowing. I have used it on a 2N, 8N and jubilee. and today on my Kioti.
Go to Everything Attachments and watch the video on plowing they have. good info there. video link near bottom of home page left hand column. they do a single bottom and a double bottom in separate videos.

[Poppa Dave]

You have got to run the stabilizer arms with that plow or leveling it and adjusting it just won't help until you do.
The "drift to the left" IS going to happen without them as that is the "equal and opposite reaction" from turning the soil to the right.
Most usually, the stablizer arms are a single piece of 5/16 or 3/8 inch thick flat bar stock with a pair of holes in them. One hole at either end of the bar. One end goes on the hitch pin of the implement after you attach the lifting arm. The other end attaches to the pin of a bracket designed for it, which is then bolted to the tractor (under the axle) and held in place with the fender bolts.
As you found out, you can only shorten those chains just so much before you can't lift the plow out of the ground.
With ALL ground engaging implements that moves the soil in only one direction (such as a plow), you have got to have those stabilizer arms if you want to keep the implement dead center behind the tractor.
The sideways drift was a key factor in the development of the 3 point hitch. It permitted cultivation implements to track in a fairly straight line behind the tractor, even if the tractor's direction was wandering back & forth slightly. In other words, it is in the nature of every driver to pull the steering wheel slightly to which ever direction the operator turned his/her head and upper torso, to look back at the implement. That slight pulling on the wheel, turned the tractor ever so slighly, but the cultivator or whatever followed a fairly straight line.

[RDR]

Have you figured out yet that the plow has to be one furrow width to the left of the tire. Otherwise you'll be plowing air behind the tire with it the way it is in the picture? The chains you are calling "sway chains" I believe are only there to keep the arms from hitting the tires. As previously mentioned you will need a sway bar on the right side.

[Poppa Dave]

RDR is 100% correct on those chains.
They are only there to keep the lifting arms from coming into contact with the tires. If the lifting arms contact a lug on a turning tire, what ever was behind you will be on top of you in extremely short order.
Be safe and do it the right way by installing the stablizer arms as previously mentioned.